Bat Speed -- Baseball Hitting Forum

Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Thu Sep 7 01:20:01 2000

>>>JACK....on 8-27-2k i wrote "let's say that in the launch position the bathead is pointed almost toward the pitcher similar to sheffield....when the swing is initiated does there need to be a deliberate, conscious effort by the hitter to move the top hand that 2 or 3 inches toward the catcher ?......or should this automatically happen without a deliberate effort to do so?....also, you have said that when you move the top hand that 2 or 3 inches toward the catcher that at the same time the bottom hand is pulling toward the pitcher.....yet i have noticed that one can quite easily "push" both the top & the bottom hand toward the catcher!!!"......i think you may have overlooked the question with it being near the end of the month (deletion of old posts )....if you could please respond......meanwhile, i saw BHL use the term "jerking the knob" to describe what i'm trying to ask about.....your thoughts?....respectfully, grc.....<<<

Hi grc

There are some hitters, notably Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa, who accelerate the bat-head back toward the catcher as they bring the hands back to a good launch position (pre-launch torque). It is important to note that rotation will not begin (pulling the bottom hands around toward the pitcher) till the hands and bat are brought back to the launch position. Sheffield, like Big Mac and Jr., start with their hands already back. Sheffield does point the bat toward pitcher, but the lead arm remains fully extended toward the catcher with bottom hand back at the armpit as the top hand pulls the bat-head away from the pitcher.

Regardless of where they start, all of the above players will have their hands and bat in about the same position as rotation begins. They will also be applying top-hand-torque at initiation as their back-elbow lowers. Then, as the body rotates, the hands will continue to supply torque. --- So yes grc, there is "a deliberate conscious effort by the hitter to move the top hand." Try to understand the difference between top-hand-torque applied during pre-launch and top-hand-torque at initiation.

BHL can jerk on the bat any way he pleases, but it is not what I teach.

Jack Mankin

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> >>>JACK....on 8-27-2k i wrote "let's say that in the launch position the bathead is pointed almost toward the pitcher similar to sheffield....when the swing is initiated does there need to be a deliberate, conscious effort by the hitter to move the top hand that 2 or 3 inches toward the catcher ?......or should this automatically happen without a deliberate effort to do so?....also, you have said that when you move the top hand that 2 or 3 inches toward the catcher that at the same time the bottom hand is pulling toward the pitcher.....yet i have noticed that one can quite easily "push" both the top & the bottom hand toward the catcher!!!"......i think you may have overlooked the question with it being near the end of the month (deletion of old posts )....if you could please respond......meanwhile, i saw BHL use the term "jerking the knob" to describe what i'm trying to ask about.....your thoughts?....respectfully, grc.....<<<
> 
> Hi grc
> 
> There are some hitters, notably Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa, who accelerate the bat-head back toward the catcher as they bring the hands back to a good launch position (pre-launch torque). It is important to note that rotation will not begin (pulling the bottom hands around toward the pitcher) till the hands and bat are brought back to the launch position. Sheffield, like Big Mac and Jr., start with their hands already back. Sheffield does point the bat toward pitcher, but the lead arm remains fully extended toward the catcher with bottom hand back at the armpit as the top hand pulls the bat-head away from the pitcher. 
> 
> Regardless of where they start, all of the above players will have their hands and bat in about the same position as rotation begins. They will also be applying top-hand-torque at initiation as their back-elbow lowers. Then, as the body rotates, the hands will continue to supply torque.  --- So yes grc, there is "a deliberate conscious effort by the hitter to move the top hand."  Try to understand the difference between top-hand-torque applied during pre-launch and top-hand-torque at initiation. 
> 
> BHL can jerk on the bat any way he pleases, but it is not what I teach.
> 
> Jack Mankin

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